This is supposed to be a recovery week, but so far I just feel sluggish and tired. I'm sure I'll come around as the week progresses and the miles aren't piling up as much since there are no doubles on the schedule and *gasp* there's even an actual rest day. Unfortunately the rest day coincides with a funeral I have to attend outside of Philly for a dear old relative who I was not at all prepared to lose. At the very least, I'll be able to totally focus on family and sentimental remembrances and not be thinking in the back of my mind that I still have to get in another ten miles.
As far as the gaps in my training right now, some of that is deliberate. I have great respect for progression runs and have seen real benefits from them in the past. I'd also like to work in some regular longer runs at marathon pace. I don't know, however, if I'm going to incorporate either of those workouts into this current training cycle. I'm really looking at what I'm doing now as a two part project. The current phase is all about acclimating my body to higher mileage in as gradual and gentle a way as possible. At the same time, I'm maintaining a limited schedule of speed work targeted towards the marathon and the half. I think I'll see good results from this plan come October, but the real test will come later...perhaps sometime late next spring...after I do plug in some of those faster, longer runs while still maintaining mileage in the 80-90 mile/week range (or even higher, depending how it goes).
Can't wait 'til October you say? No, neither can I. I'm more than a little anxious about this Columbus half coming up in a week and a half, but really excited too. As tired as I was this morning, it was a little hard to imagine, but I've got visions of 1:25 dancing in my head. And even before that...there's a 5 miler coming up in just four days where I'd really love to get another PR. I suppose that's a little greedy of me, but I might as well ride this wave while I'm on it.